After my first attempt, I remembered seeing the accordion style platforms and decided to go ahead & upgrade- and I love this design soooo much better. No rubber mats, no loose carpet pieces.. feels almost like it shouldāve come this way.
I used the existing platform I had cut as one of the sections and added the others, but also cut new support beams at 5ā tall so the platform would sit level on the seat backs.
One thing I realized is that in order to fold up a design like this, the panels cannot be the full 42.5ā wide because thereās a little bump out in the interior plastics that is difficult to clear when folding. (The other option to avoid this, as others have done, is to make the middle section shallower and the forward section longer so they both clear. You can see the differences in the linked examples..)
I considered this a happy accident though because instead of fully folding up, it formed a little trunk area insteadā¦ itās not completely sealed off, or secure, but it does block 90% visibility of whatever youād have back there with the window closed. That plus my tint and I think itās pretty sweet- and looks clutch! (It definitely would not block view or secure the trunk area with the top off.. )
The other thing I did was the split design because hauling gear + a passenger in the back is a fairly common thing for me. I had seen this idea in the drawings from another post, but he didnāt end up doing it.. so I did!
I made it a bit shallower in hopes to clear the tailgate latch bump-out and not have to notch the left side of the platform- which worked but is very tight clearance.. I have to shove it forward each time to make sure the tailgate will close. So I might go back and notch that corner after all.
Nevertheless Iām pretty happy with how it turned out and thought Iād share!
This is so sick! How did you go about fabricating this? Is it just sizing up somehome depot wood, upholster and added hinges? Is it just the weight of the shelving that holds it in place?m
Do you happen to have measurements? (Yes yes, I am asking purely out of laziness)
Yep- solid 3/4ā wood āproject panelsā from Loweās, a 6x8 roll of carpet, some hinges, about 1000 staples and a few hoursā¦ thatās it!
And yes, itās just sitting in there- not attached heād to anything.
I did it all with a circular saw using my patio furniture as saw horses š
Hereās the rough measurements I used. If thereās enough interest, Iām considering putting together a more detailed āhow-toā for a modest donation š
Ideally, I want the top part of the shelf to extend on the sides so i can just attach it to the factory bolts. Really looking for a solid trunk cover and some way to block the trunk from access. This looks great.
yeah me too... had I thought of this idea when setting out to build it, I probably would have engineered it that way, but like I said, this was an accident! TBH that's the best part of a community like this.. that we keep building on each others' ideas to further refine, iterate and get creative! Can't wait to see what you come up with!
Thatās right. When the back seats are folded down, the entire back is fully flat and uniform. No part of the structure is attached to the vehicle, it just sits in there anchored by its own weight.
Awesome, appreciate the follow up! Definitely gonna try this in a few weeks. Also, is there any noticeable rattle when either folded all the way down, or when seated back up?
In my original version, there was some rattling around, but this one being all covered in carpet and built to be a bit tighter tolerance, I feel like itās held in place pretty tightly. That said, in my opinion, the bronco has quite a few little rattles, squeaks and creeks so a little extra jostling from this thing may just not be noticeable among the symphony of other rattlesā¦
I have a little boutique handyman company so Iām routinely loading and unloading a bunch of modular toolboxes and supplies. I know I could stack them on the floor and seat backs hodgepodge style but I really like the ease of a uniformly level surface to work from.
Will post a loaded pic next time Iām out for a job!
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u/Hey_Coach_Liam 1d ago
And in split mode.